Tuesday evening July 5

Preparation

Opening response

O God, make speed to save us.O Lord, make haste to help us.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:to you be praise and glory for ever.As darkness falls you renew your promiseto reveal among us the light of your presence.By the light of Christ, your living Word,dispel the darkness of our heartsthat we may walk as children of lightand sing your praise throughout the world.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

Then let us all thy fullness know,From every sin set free;Saved, to the utmost saved below,And perfected by thee

Confession of sin

Let us admit to God the sin which always confronts us.

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Almighty God,patient and of great goodness:I confess to you,I confess with my whole heartmy neglect and forgetfulness of your commandments,my wrong doing, thinking, and speaking;the hurts I have done to others,and the good I have left undone.O God, forgive me, for I have sinned against you;and raise me to newness of life;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

May the God of love and powerforgive us and free us from our sins,heal and strengthen us by his Spirit,and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord.Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 134

Refrain:Let my whole being bless the Lord!

All you who serve the Lord: bless the Lord right now! All you who minister in the Lord’s house at night: bless God!Lift up your hands to the sanctuary and bless the Lord!May the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: Let my whole being bless the Lord!

Psalm prayer

Guard all your household, Lord,through the dark night of faith,and purify the hearts of those who wait on you,until your kingdom dawns with therising of your Son,Christ, the morning star.

Psalm 135

Refrain:Praise the Lord, because the Lord is good!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord’s name! All you who serve the Lord, praise God!All you who stand in the Lord’s house— who stand in the courtyards of our God’s temple— praise the Lord, because the Lord is good! Sing praises to God’s name because it is beautiful!Because the Lord chose Jacob as his own, God chose Israel as his treasured possession.

Yes, I know for certain that the Lord is great— I know our Lord is greater than all other gods.The Lord can do whatever he wants in heaven or on earth, in the seas and in every ocean depth.God forms clouds at the far corners of the earth. God makes lightning for the rain. God releases the wind from its storeroom. God struck down the Egyptians’ oldest offspring— both human and animal!God sent signs and wonders into the very center of Egypt— against Pharaoh and all his servants.God struck down many nations and killed mighty kings:Sihon the Amorite king, Og the king of Bashan, and all the Canaanite kings.Then God handed their land over as an inheritance— as an inheritance to Israel, his own people.

Lord, your name is forever! Lord, your fame extends from one generation to the next!The Lord gives justice to his people and has compassion on those who serve him.

The nations’ idols are just silver and gold— things made by human hands.They have mouths, but they can’t speak. They have eyes, but they can’t see.They have ears, but they can’t listen. No, there’s no breath in their lungs!Let the people who made these idols and all who trust in them become just like them!

House of Israel, bless the Lord! House of Aaron, bless the Lord! House of Levi, bless the Lord! You who honor the Lord, bless the Lord!Bless the Lord from Zion— bless the one who lives in Jerusalem!

Praise the Lord!

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Praise the Lord, because the Lord is good!

Psalm prayer

Wise and gracious God,save us from the idols of our heartsand keep us in your living presence,that we may become a people for your praisein Jesus Christ our Lord.

Old Testament readingEzekiel 11:14-25

The Lord’s word came to me: Human one, when the people living in Jerusalem said, “They’ve gone far from the Lord, and we’ve been given the land as an inheritance,” they were talking about your family, your nearest relatives, the whole house of Israel, all of it.

Therefore, say, The Lord God proclaims: Even though I made them go far away among the nations and caused them to scatter throughout the earth, I’ve provided some sanctuary for them in the countries to which they’ve gone.

Therefore, say, The Lord God proclaims: I will gather you from the nations, assemble you from the countries where you were scattered, and I will give you Israel’s fertile land. They will enter the land, and they will remove from it all its disgusting and detestable things. I will give them a single heart, and I will put a new spirit in them. I will remove the stony hearts from their bodies and give them hearts of flesh so that they may follow my regulations and carefully observe my case laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. As for those whose hearts continue to go after their disgusting and detestable things, I will hold them accountable for their ways. This is what the Lord God says!

Then the winged creatures raised their wings. The wheels were next to them, and the glory of Israel’s God was above them. The Lord’s glory ascended from the middle of the city, and it stopped at the mountain east of the city. And a wind lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Chaldea, through a vision with a divine wind. When the vision I had seen left me, I spoke to the exiles about everything the Lord had shown to me.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading2 Corinthians 7:2-16

Make room in your hearts for us. We didn’t do anything wrong to anyone. We didn’t ruin anyone. We didn’t take advantage of anyone. I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty. I’ve already said that you are in our hearts so that we die and live together with you. I have every confidence in you. I’m terribly proud of you. I’m filled with encouragement. I’m overwhelmed with happiness while in the middle of our problems.

Even after we arrived in Macedonia, we couldn’t rest physically. We were surrounded by problems. There was external conflict, and there were internal fears. However, God comforts people who are discouraged, and he comforted us by Titus’ arrival. We weren’t comforted only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your desire to see me, how you were sorry, and about your concern for me, so that I was even happier.

Even though my letter hurt you, I don’t regret it. Well—I did regret it just a bit because I see that that letter made you sad, though only for a short time. Now I’m glad—not because you were sad but because you were made sad enough to change your hearts and lives. You felt godly sadness so that no one was harmed by us in any way. Godly sadness produces a changed heart and life that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets, but sorrow under the influence of the world produces death. Look at what this very experience of godly sadness has produced in you: such enthusiasm, what a desire to clear yourselves of blame, such indignation, what fear, what purpose, such concern, what justice! In everything you have shown yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

So although I wrote to you, it wasn’t for the sake of the one who did wrong, or for the sake of the one who was wronged, but to show you your own enthusiasm for us in the sight of God. Because of this we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we were even more pleased at how happy Titus was. His mind has been put at rest by all of you. If I’ve bragged about you to him in any way, I haven’t been embarrassed. Instead, our bragging to Titus has also been proven to be true, just like everything we said to you was true. His devotion to you is growing even more as he remembers how all of you were obedient when you welcomed him with fear and trembling. I’m happy, because I can completely depend on you.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Magnificat (The Song of Mary)

Refrain:God, you have done great things and holy is your name.

With all my heart I glorify the Lord!In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my savior.He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant.Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favoredbecause the mighty one has done great things for me.Holy is his name.He shows mercy to everyone,from one generation to the next,who honors him as God.He has shown strength with his arm.He has scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations.He has pulled the powerful down from their thronesand lifted up the lowly.He has filled the hungry with good thingsand sent the rich away empty-handed.He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,remembering his mercy, just as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Luke 1:46-55

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:God, you have done great things and holy is your name.

Brief silence

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Thanksgiving and intercession

Thanksgiving may be made for the day.Intercessions are offeredfor peacefor individuals and their needs

Response

God of grace,hear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Merciful God,you have prepared for those who love yousuch good things as pass our understanding:pour into our hearts such love toward youthat we, loving you in all things and above all things,may obtain your promises,which exceed all that we can desire;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.

Conclusion

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,and the love of God,and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,be with us all evermore.Amen.